One bill that would allow sports betting in Maine remains viable after other bills were winnowed down by lawmakers.
The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee last week eliminated several competing bills and threw its support behind a bill that would include mobile wagers, but prohibit betting on youth sports and video game competitions. Bills that were culled included provision for off-track-betting and Indian bingo vendors.
The bill remaining is Senate President Troy Jackson’s bill that would put the Department of Public Safety’s Gambling Control Board jurisdiction over issuing sports betting licenses to casinos, racetracks, OTB facilities and high-stakes beano operations.
The Maine Gambling Control Unit estimates that the market for sports book in Maine would be about $3.8 million and that the state would collect $380,000 annually in taxes at a 5 percent rate.
Some lawmakers, like Rep. Josanne Dolloff, warned that some people would gamble away their “grocery money.” Others argued that sports betting, particularly fantasy sports betting, already exists.
